Story highlights

The expo drew more than 250,000 people over three days, a record number of attendees

The annual cosplay competition is a highlight of ChinaJoy

Zombies, "World of Warcraft" characters and showgirls in skimpy outfits flooded Shanghai's New International Expo Centre from July 31-August 3 for the 12th annual ChinaJoy event.

One of the highlights of the meet -- its annual cosplay competition.

Participants, either solo or in teams, dressed up to emulate characters from comic books, movies and video games to be judged based on their costumes, routine and the response they received from the audience.

With some preparing months in advance, the show was spectacular. Click through the gallery above for some of the results.

Digital expo

The China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, or ChinaJoy, is China's largest gaming and digital entertainment exhibition.

From July 31 to August 3, the expo drew in 250,224 attendees, a record high for ChinaJoy.

Similar to the Los Angeles-based E3 and the Tokyo Game Show, the event has grown from a domestic function that concentrated on online games to becoming China's gaming industry's flagship event, covering online, mobile and console games as well as other digital products.